PGMA's Speech during the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day Celebration Sponsored by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII)

PGMA's Speech during the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day Celebration Sponsored by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII)

Century Seafood Restaurant, Century Park Hotel, Malate, Manila (08 June 2002)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. JOHN NG, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION.

SENATE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DRILON; CONGRESSMAN HARRY ANGPIN AND MRS. ANGPIN;
CONGRESSMAN SATUR OCAMPO; AMBASSADOR WANG CHUNGUI OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC
OF CHINA AND THE OTHER AMBASSADORS WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT; MANNY DY,
PRESIDENT OF FFCAP; OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FILIPINO-CHINESE BUSINESS
COMMUNITY; HONORED GUESTS; LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
REPRESENTED HERE BY UNDERSECRETARY EBDALIN, THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN MANILA,
THE FEDERATION OF FILIPINO-CHINESE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AND
THE FEDERATION OF FILIPINO-CHINESE ASSOCIATIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES FOR
SPEARHEADING THIS CELEBRATION OF FILIPINO-CHINESE FRIENDSHIP DAY.

THIS OCCASION IS SIGNIFICANT FOR ALL OF US, AND FOR ME PERSONALLY. WE ARE
IMPLEMENTING WHAT I SIGNED, AS THE AMBASSADOR SAID, PROCLAMATION 148
DECLARING JUNE 9 OF EVERY YEAR AS FILIPINO-CHINESE FRIENDSHIP DAY. WE ARE
ALSO COMMEMORATING THE DAY THAT DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WERE ESTABLISHED
BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINES AND CHINA. AND I AM ALSO VERY PROUD THAT AS
FOUNDING MEMBER, LIFETIME MEMBER AND CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR
PHILIPPINES-CHINA UNDERSTANDING OR APCU, I WAS ONE OF THOSE -- ALONG WITH
THE IN-LAWS OF CONGRESSMAN OCAMPO, ROXY LIM AND HER HUSBAND, AND MANNY DY
-- I WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO WORKED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THIS DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES.

TOGETHER WITH MANY OF YOU, MY COLLEAGUES IN APCU, WE STARTED WORKING FOR
CLOSER PHILIPPINES-CHINA RELATIONS DURING THE EARLY 70s, EVEN BEFORE THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF FORMAL RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES IN JUNE 1975.

BUT, AS MENTIONED BY OUR SPEAKERS -- JOHN, MANNY AND THE AMBASSADOR -- THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINES AND CHINA STARTED LONG BEFORE THE
SPANIARDS SET FOOT ON OUR SOIL. COMMERCIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO
COUNTRIES ANTEDATED OUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE WEST.

EVEN MORE INTERESTING IS THE LESS-KNOWN FACT THAT OUR RACIAL AFFINITY DATES
BACK TO PREHISTORIC TIMES. IT IS SAID THAT DURING THE ICE AGE, THE
PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO WAS CONTIGUOUS TO THE ASIAN MAINLAND. PEOPLE FROM
CHINA MIGRATED TO THE PHILIPPINES, INDONESIA AND OTHER PARTS OF THE MALAY
PENINSULA THROUGH LAND BRIDGES. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE ATTEST TO THIS.

WE COME FROM COMMON ANCESTORS, WE ARE ONE FAMILY.

THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS OF PHILIPPINE CULTURE THAT EVOLVED OUT OF THIS
RELATIONSHIP. THE CHINESE INTRODUCED THE CAST-IRON PLOW HEAD (CALLED
LITHAW OR LUEYTHAW IN CHINESE) THAT MADE OUR LANDS PRODUCTIVE. FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES LIKE PETSAY, KINTSAY, TOGUE (LAUGHTER/ APPLAUSE) AND THE
CULINARY ART THAT BROUGHT US LOMI, BATSOY, TOKWA AND PANCIT BECAME OUR
DAILY FARE.

THE CHINESE FERRIED SUGAR CANE PRESSES ALL THE WAY FROM CHINA TO EXTRACT
SUGAR FROM LOCALLY-PRODUCED CANE LONG BEFORE THE MODERN SUGAR MILL WAS
INTRODUCED TO US BY THE FRENCH. COMMON ILONGGO WORDS USED IN SUGAR
PRODUCTION SUCH AS SIAPO (FOR BAGASSE), CANSIAJA (FOR SUGAR CANE LEAVES),
AND KAWA (FOR CAULDRON) ARE OF CHINESE ORIGIN.

LIKEWISE, THE IMPACT OF CHINESE INFLUENCE IN PHILIPPINE LIFE IS SEEN AND
HEARD IN OUR OWN COMMON HOUSE LANGUAGE, SUCH AS THE KINSHIP TERMS "KUYA"
AND "ATE" THAT WERE BORROWED FROM THE HOKKIEN DIALECT USED BY THE LOCAL
CHINESE.

THE SHARED TRADITIONS LIVE ON, EVEN IN THE MODERN SETTING, REINFORCED BY
COMMON POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS THAT BIND CHINA AND THE PHILIPPINES.

OUR TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS ARE IN THE BEST OF HEALTH. WITH THE
ENTRY OF CHINA TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, I HOPE OUR ECONOMIC
RELATIONS WILL IMPROVE FURTHER. I HOPE THAT CHINA WILL BUY MORE TROPICAL
FRUITS FROM SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES. I HOPE THAT MORE CHINESE TOURISTS WILL
VISIT NORTHERN PHILIPPINES. I HOPE THAT CHINESE BUSINESS WILL FIND THE AIRPORTS OF THE PHILIPPINES A GOOD LOGISTICAL
HUB FOR TRADING WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD AND THE REGION.

IN A DECADE, ASEAN IS LOOKING AT A VIABLE CHINA-ASEAN FREE TRADE AREA AS AN
INTEGRATING FORCE IN OUR REGION.

MORE THAN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, WE HAVE SIGNED THE MOST NUMBER OF TRADE
AND ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA.
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACTS HAVE INCREASED GEOMETRICALLY. UNDERSTANDING AND
FRIENDSHIP HAVE DEEPENED.

THE FUTURE OF PHILIPPINES-CHINA RELATIONS RESTS ON OUR ABILITY TO PURSUE
COMMON GOALS UNDER THE GLOBALIZED REGIME. THESE GOALS WERE ARTICULATED IN
THE APEC SUMMIT IN SHANGHAI, IN MY STATE VISIT TO BEIJING WHERE MANY OF YOU
WERE THERE WITH ME, AND IN THE ASEAN+3 MEETING IN BRUNEI LAST YEAR. IN
THESE THREE MEETINGS, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET ONCE AGAIN WITH
PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN AND EXCHANGE IDEAS AND PROPOSALS SPANNING THE WIDE
RANGE OF ISSUES IN REGIONAL SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT.

DOMESTICALLY, WE SHALL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN AND STRENGTHEN OUR TIES WITH
THE CHINESE COMMUNITY. YOU ARE AWARE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE NATURALIZATION
LAW I SIGNED LAST YEAR, WHICH MAKES THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS FOR
NATIVE-BORN CHINESE LESS RESTRICTIVE. WITH A FASTER AND MUCH-IMPROVED
NATURALIZATION PROCESS, THOSE WHOSE FONDEST WISH IS TO LIVE IN THE
PHILIPPINES PERMANENTLY, WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND SERVED. I HOPE THAT
AMONG THE CHINESE COMMUNITY HERE YOU CAN CONDUCT AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN SO
THAT THOSE WHO ARE NOT YET NATURALIZED WILL APPLY UNDER THIS LAW.

WE ARE ALSO SHARING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS
ACTIVITIES FOR AGRICULTURAL MODERNIZATION.

ONE SUCCESSFUL CASE WAS MENTIONED BY AMBASSADOR WANG, THE HYBRID RICE
PROJECT, WHERE FEDERATION DIRECTOR AND AGRI-ENTREPRENEUR HENRY LIM BON
LIONG HAS BEEN AN ACTIVE CONTRIBUTOR. HENRY WAS INSTRUMENTAL
IN ACQUIRING THE TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW FROM CHINA'S FATHER OF HYBRID RICE AND
2001 MAGSAYSAY AWARDEE PROF. YUAN LONG PING, AND IN APPLYING IT IN THE
PHILIPPINE SETTING. THIS WAS ONE OF THE AGENDA ITEMS OF MY TALKS WITH
PREMIER ZHU RONGGI TO PROPAGATE THE CHINESE HYBRID RICE FOR OUR
AGRICULTURAL MODERNIZATION.

LET ME ALSO COMMEND THE FEDERATION FOR ACTIVELY PURSUING PROGRAMS AND
PROJECTS ADDRESSING THE KEY CONCERN OF PEACE AND ORDER AND ITS TWIN --
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.

I KNOW THE FEDERATION IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE GOVERNMENT, ESPECIALLY
THE NATIONAL ANTI-CRIME COMMISSION, IN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM OF
KIDNAPPING.

I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE HOW DEEPLY SADDENED I AM OVER THE DEATH OF KIDNAP
VICTIMS EDIBORAH YAP AND MARTIN BURNHAM. THIS IS A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY THAT
DEMONSTRATES THAT TERRORISM HAS NO CONSCIENCE. OUR SYMPATHIES GO OUT TO
THE FAMILIES OF MARTIN BURNHAM AND EDIBORAH YAP. AS WE MOURN THIS LOSS,
LET US ALSO NOT FORGET THE BRAVE SOLDIERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE CAMPAIGN TO FREE THE HOSTAGES AND BRING
THE TERRORISTS WHO HELD THEM TO JUSTICE.

WE FEEL BLESSED THAT THE SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS OF EVERYONE INVOLVED IN
SECURING THE RELEASE OF THE HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE CASE OF
GRACIA BURNHAM. I WILL BE VISITING HER AFTER MY PARTICIPATION IN THIS
PROGRAM. HER RESCUE IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN OUR EFFORTS TO
RESTORE PEACE AND ORDER IN THE PHILIPPINES AND IN OUR BROADER GLOBAL FIGHT
AGAINST TERRORISM. OUR BATTLE AGAINST TERRORISM AND THE POVERTY THAT MAKES
PEOPLE SUSCEPTIBLE TO JOINING TERRORIST BANDS DOES NOT END HERE. WE WILL
CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO ERADICATE TERRORISM IN OUR COUNTRY AND
INTERNATIONALLY.

WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL WE BRING THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ATROCITIES TO
JUSTICE. AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE WORKING HARD TO ELIMINATE
TERRORISM IN ITS RECRUITMENT GROUNDS BY RESTORING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND
ENSURING EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT SO THAT THE TERRORISTS DON'T FIND FERTILE
GROUND WITH THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BENEFITED FROM THE FRUITS OF DEVELOPMENT.

I AM CONCERNED THAT THE ABU SAYYAF LEADERS MAY TRY TO FLEE THE COUNTRY. I
AM ASKING THE SECRETARY OF JUSTICE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGNAFFAIRS, ESPECIALLY WITH FRANK HERE, TO SEEK THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR ASEAN
NEIGHBORS, PARTICULARLY MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA, CO-SIGNATORIES OF THE
COUNTER-TERRORISM AGREEMENT, TO ASSIST IN THEIR CAPTURE. THE SECRETARY OF
JUSTICE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SHOULD ALSO ASK FOR THE
ASSISTANCE OF INTERPOL AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
THE SECRETARY OF JUSTICE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CAN ALSO
SEND A SIMILAR MESSAGE TO THE U.S. ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

OKAY, FRANK. I DON'T HAVE TO SEND YOU A MEMO.

THE PHILIPPINES JOINED IN THE GLOBAL EFFORT TO ELIMINATE TERRORISM FROM DAY
ONE. TERRORISM IS A GLOBAL SCOURGE THAT HAS CAUSED GREAT PAIN AND
SUFFERING AND MANY CASUALTIES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO STAND FIRM ON ITS ATTACK
ON TERRORISM AND WILL NOT BACK DOWN: NO NEGOTIATIONS, NO COMPROMISE. AS
YOU IN THE CHINESE COMMUNITY KNOW VERY WELL KIDNAPPERS ARE THE LOWEST FORM
OF LIFE AND TAKING HOSTAGES IS A CRIME AGAINST ALL HUMANITY AND MUST NOT BE
ALLOWED TO PROLIFERATE. THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT REGRETS THE LOSS OF LIFE
OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS AS WELL AS MILITARY PERSONNEL IN THE PURSUIT OF
WIPING OUT TERRORISM. IT IS A PAINFUL PRICE THAT THE PHILIPPINES AND ALL
OTHER PEACE-LOVING NATIONS HAVE HAD TO PAY TO MAKE THE WORLD SAFER FOR
LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS. ERADICATION OF TERRORISM IN THE PHILIPPINES IS
ANOTHER STEP TOWARD STRENGTHENING THE RULE OF LAW IN AREAS OF TERRORIST
PRESENCE AND RE-FOCUSING THE ENERGY OF GOVERNMENT ON PRESSING SOCIAL ILLS
WITH THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF ELIMINATING POVERTY THAT CONFRONTS SO MANY OF
OUR PEOPLE.

WITH THIS OBJECTIVE IN MIND, I ASK THE FEDERATION TO HELP ME BUILD
CLASSROOMS IN THE BARANGAYS OF THE TOWNS OF SIBUCO, SIRAWAY, SIOCON, AND
BALIGUIAN IN ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE TRIPLE S-B COMPLEX
OF ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE. THIS WAS WHERE THE ABU SAYYAF FLED AFTER THEIR
ATROCITIES IN IPIL, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR IN 1995. THIS AGAIN WAS WHERE THEY
FLED AFTER THEY WERE DRIVEN OUT BY THE HEAVY MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN BASILAN;
AND THIS IS WHERE MARTIN, GRACIA AND DEBORAH WERE FOUND. THIS COMPLEX,
SSSB, IS AS POOR AS BASILAN. MANY BARANGAYS HAVE NO SCHOOLS WHATSOEVER.
NO WONDER MANY OF THE BARRIO FOLK, UNEDUCATED, THEREFORE, CAN EARN THEIR
LIVING ONLY BY HARBORING TERRORISTS WHO ARE ON THE RUN. WE ARE WINNING THE
MILITARY BATTLE IN THE TRIPLE S-B COMPLEX, BUT YOU MUST HELP ME WIN THE
BATTLE FOR THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS. HELP ME WIN THEIR BATTLE AGAINST
POVERTY.

I THANK THE FEDERATION FOR HELPING NARROW THE GAP IN OUR CLASSROOM NEEDS
THROUGH YOUR "OPERATION BARRIO SCHOOLS." THE FEDERATION, AS WE HAVE JUST
RECENTLY SEEN IN FRANK DRILON'S INITIATIVES, CAN BUILD CLASSROOMS AT HALF
THE COST OF GOVERNMENT-BUILT SCHOOL HOUSES. I HAVE CHALLENGED THE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TO TRY TO MATCH YOUR COST BECAUSE
RECENTLY, SENATE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DRILON TURNED OVER 100 MILLION PESOS OF
HIS OWN DEVELOPMENT FUND TO THE FEDERATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
OF 571 CLASSROOMS.

THIS IS A CLEAR ACCEPTANCE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATUS OF THE
FEDERATION NOT ONLY AS A LEADING ORGANIZATION IN THE CHINESE-FILIPINO
COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO AS A KEY PARTNER IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

WHAT MAKES ME ESPECIALLY HAPPY ABOUT THE DRILON-FEDERATION JOINT INITIATIVE
IS THAT YOU ALLOWED ME TO CHOOSE THE AREAS WHERE THE SCHOOLS WILL BE BUILT.
I CHOSE 571 BARANGAYS WHERE NO SCHOOLS EXIST. THIS IS PART OF MY "SCHOOL
FOR EVERY BARANGAY PROGRAM."

I UNDERSTAND JOHN NG HAS ISSUED A CALL TO THE CHINESE-FILIPINO COMMUNITY TO
SUPPORT THIS "SCHOOL FOR EVERY BARANGAY PROGRAM." PLEASE HELP THOSE
BARANGAYS WITH NO SCHOOL BUILDINGS ACQUIRE THESE SCHOOL BUILDINGS
ESPECIALLY FOR THE EARLY GRADES -- GRADES 1 AND 2 -- SO THAT THE LITTLE
CHILDREN WILL NOT END UP DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL SO EARLY BECAUSE THEY WOULD
HAVE TO WALK SO FAR AWAY JUST TO GO TO FIRST GRADE.

IF WE CAN WORK LIKE THIS, LIKE ONE BIG FAMILY, WE CAN SECURE A BRIGHT
FUTURE FOR OUR COUNTY, FOR OUR OURSELVES, AND FOR OUR CHILDREN.

AND SO ON THIS EVENING, I CELEBRATE THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE FILIPINOS AND THE CHINESE. WE CELEBRATE
THE FILIPINO-CHINESE. WE CELEBRATE THE PHILIPPINES. WE CELEBRATE CHINA
AND OUR CENTURIES AND MILLENNIA OF FRIENDSHIP IN THE PAST AND INTO THE
FUTURE.

THANK YOU.

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